Fewer people are out of work in La Crescent (0.5%) than in 97% of U.S. towns
The average commute takes 18 minutes each way (Minnesota 23, U.S. 26). La Crescent grades A for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. About one in seven stay in La Crescent for work; outside it, La Crosse is the main destination (41%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where La Crescent stands out on work
Many La Crescent workers cross into Wisconsin
67% of La Crescent workers work outside Minnesota, most of them in Wisconsin, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
41% of La Crescent works in La Crosse
938 working residents, 41%, have their main job in La Crosse, WI, 4 miles away. That’s 3 times as many as work in La Crescent itself. The commute map ↓
Many of the people who work in La Crescent live in another state
La Crosse, WI (11%) and Onalaska, WI (4%) are among the top places La Crescent’s workers come from. Counting only the top ten home towns, 15% of the jobs here are held by people from out of state. The commute map ↓
Most La Crescent residents work close to home
67% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Commutes from La Crescent are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 23 across Minnesota. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Minnesota worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in La Crescent
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, La Crescent is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #99 of 273 in Minnesota. Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($85,368, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, La Crescent could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The towns that employ La Crescent’s residents
Where La Crescent clocks in
41% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
La Crescent’s commute, mile by mile
About 18% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Time on the road from La Crescent: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of La Crescent workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,229 commuters (the 15% who work from home are left out). Across Minnesota: 84% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
La Crescent by day and by night
On a workday 1,954 residents head out to work, 336 work right here, and 1,218 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,500 people are in La Crescent on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.68 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Jobs in La Crescent: what the 1,554 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in La Crescent, 2013 → 2023: 1,168 → 1,554. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs La Crescent’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In La Crescent, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, La Crescent is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns, #127 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,630 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 99% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 57% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.0% of La Crescent households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of La Crescent’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,582 U.S. towns of 3,700 to 7,100, La Crescent comes 558th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Independence MN | 3,763 | $187K | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Deephaven MN | 3,794 | $198K | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 19 | Elko New Market MN | 5,300 | $152K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 556 | Swarthmore PA | 6,561 | $152K | 1.8% | 7.7% | 10% | A |
| 557 | Saranap CA | 5,662 | $157K | 4.1% | 6.0% | 2% | A |
| 558 | La Crescent MN | 5,261 | $85K | 5.7% | 0.5% | 15% | A |
| 559 | Ralston NE | 6,382 | $69K | 4.0% | 2.2% | 5% | A |
| 560 | Granite Falls WA | 4,686 | $105K | 3.4% | 2.4% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,582 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of La Crescent, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Around La Crescent: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | La Crescent workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crescent | – | A | B+ | 18 min | $85,368 |
| La Crescent Township | under 1% | A | B | 20 min | $110,417 |
| Dresbach Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Dresbach Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of La Crescent’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in La Crescent: questions
What is the median household income in La Crescent?
$85,368 (±$19,090) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in La Crescent?
5.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from La Crescent?
18 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in La Crescent work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are La Crosse (41%, 4 mi), Onalaska (8%, 6 mi), Winona (5%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is La Crescent walkable?
La Crescent is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 11.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around La Crescent without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from La Crescent, from the people who make the trip.
More of La Crescent
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.